May 26, 2023

Cardinals,

The final day is here! Today is the last day for our amazing young Cardinals and our teachers finish their year next Wednesday, May 31, 2023. For the first time since May 2019 we are able to talk about an entire school year without mentioning a pandemic. We made it through another year and have many things to be proud of and thankful for!

As we enter summer vacation, let’s look back on a few of the highlights from our Cardinal community:

· Our Cardinal athletic teams experienced many successes - state playoff and state tournament appearances by several Cardinal teams

· The beginning of a sanctioned girls’ wrestling program at Newton High School

· Another state championship for our Battle of the Books team

· The start of an indoor marching band program - Winter Guard

· Kids diligently reading outside of school in the pursuit of winning one of eight bicycles at our elementary schools

· A National Merit Scholarship Finalist

· A former Cardinal playing in the NCAA national basketball tournament with the Drake Bulldogs

· A bus driver finishing her 51st year of driving a school bus for our young Cardinals!

These highlights, as well as many others will be forever etched in our memories. Everything we do and everything we experience here in Newton helps make us who we are.

Take a few minutes and think about the things you enjoyed in the 2022-2023 school year and share the stories of those memories with your friends, families and neighbors. Let them know what you experienced and are proud of. Let them know how great it is to be a Newton Cardinal.

Have a great summer!!

Tom Messinger